Reach for the Stars
by acaudill0068
Summary: Rachel takes a break from Broadway to search for love. Ten guys compete for her heart in a game show. She never thought it would be so hard to pick until she meets a certain mohawked man that leaves her confused and slightly aroused. Rated T for now.
1. Chapter 1

I don't own Glee.

A/N: A friend of mine is obsessed with shows like 'The Bachelorette' and I've never actually watched a show like that but she prompted this idea. I'm not sure if I'm going to run with this just yet but I liked the idea and this first chapter so it just depends on how much free time I have. And if you guys actually like this idea as well.

Also, I would like to say that this first chapter is a bit confusing but I couldn't figure out another way to write it. Basically, it's little clips of the glee boys auditioning for Rachel's show: 'Reach for the Stars.' I promise that future chapters won't be this confusing if I continue. Most of the gleeks will be in this and you'll be introduced to most of them in this first chapter. The others will pop in shortly.

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><p>"So I just talk into this?" Mike asked, squirming in his chair uncomfortably and never looking directly at the camera in front of him. "Is she going to see this?" A voice answered with a 'yes' and he sighed. "Don't screw this up, Chang," He murmured to himself.<p>

"Well, uh, my name is Mike Chang," He rubbed the back of his neck nervously. "I'm 28 years old and I'm from here, New York City. I was raised by both my parents but my dad passed away aobut ten years ago, car accident. Umm… I'm a dancer. I've actually been on quite a few shows, you know, in the background. I help a lot behind stage, that's how I met Rachel Berry. Well, actually, I never met her but that's how I found out about her. She was playing the lead in Mamma Mia! and I was working the lights," He sighed. "I never got around to talking to her, she was busy and all, but I've followed her career since then. I'd really like to get to know her better so uh… that's why I'm here."

Mike moved awkwardly from his seat, out of the cameras view, and almost knocking down some lights in the process. A cute blonde plopped down in the chair, taking Mike's place, a huge smile covering most of his face.

"I'm Sam Evans, from Tennessee. I've never really done this before, come onto a show like this, I mean. I work in finance so my job is pretty boring. I do impressions, wanna hear one?" He asked hopefully but then his face fell when the same voice from before said 'no' plainly. "Right, I'm sure Rachel doesn't like those type of things. She's probably really busy, isn't she? She's going to see this, right? Now I'm getting nervous," He wiped his palms on his jeans and sighed. "I'm a pretty boring person, really, so I don't know what more to say. I think I'm done," He started to move but then quickly looked back at the camera. "By the way, I think Rachel Berry is gorgeous and her voice is amazing," He added the last part quickly before ducking away.

"Hey, Artie Abrams here," A wheelchair rolled into view and the man pushed his glasses up his nose. "I just think it would be really dope if I met Rachel Berry. Well, I have met her before. I got a picture with her right after one of her performances of Beauty and the Beast. It was pretty awesome. I'm actually a pretty good singer so if Rachel ever wants to hear me sing, I'd be down for it. Did she know I was in a band when I was younger? Wait, never mind, she doesn't have a clue who I am, of course she doesn't know I was in a band." He smiled one last time before rolling out of view.

Two men moved in front of the camera then, taking Artie's place.

"Dave Karofsky," A large man said into the camera and then turned to the slightly bigger man sitting beside him. "This is Azimio. Nope, no first name."

Azimio shook his head. "We're doing this little clip together, because well, we're awesome and Rachel can't really choose between us. We're going to do some naughty things to that woman."

"Yep, together," Karofsky agreed. "Anyways, I'm from Miami."

"I'm representing for Orlando." Azimio added. "We're really only here because that Broadway chick is fucking hot and as long as she keeps her mouth shut, we'll be good."

"Hi, Rachel," A tall man waved at the camera and smiled goofily once Azimio and Karofsky were out of the way. "I'm Finn Hudson. I was born in raised in Lima, Ohio. Another guy that's here, Puck, he's kind of my best friend. You'll probably see him later. He's the one with the mohawk. Anyway, I kind of heard about Rachel from my mom. She was obsessed with musicals and then this fresh, new face appeared and my mom fell in love with the New Yorker. My mom would totally freak if I got Rachel Berry to fall in love with me. I'm kind of smart, like, not book smart, but I made it through four years at Ohio state so that's something, right? I'm a teacher but I'm taking a leave to do this. I coach the football team at my old high school. I'm really great at football so that cool…" He trailed off nervously. "So uh, I have a whole itunes list dedicated to you, Rachel, and I really like your voice. You're like modern Barbra Streisand, or at least that what my mom says. Hopefully I get to meet you in person soon." He waved again at the camera before disappearing.

"H-hi, I'm Jacob Ben Israel," Jacob sat down in the chair, squirming slightly. He was short and had a jew-fro. His glasses took up a lot of his face and he looked either nervous or he was about to pee. "I've followed Rachel Berry's career since she first started on the big stage. I actually know a lot about her," He pulled out a notebook. "She was born in the Bronx and raised around New York City and in Tenafly, New Jersey. She went to several different schools and was actually homeschooled for a year. Her first big break came when she was 20 years old and she originated a female lead in a musical that went huge," He smiled back at the camera. "She's also a big advocate for Peta and animal rights. I find that so sexy, Rachel. I've met Rachel exactly twenty-seven times so I'll be surprised if she doesn't remember me. Also, I'm kind of in love with her and I'm sure I've got the other guys beat hands down."

It was a few minutes before the chair was filled after Jacob left.

"Matt Rutherford," A cute man smirked at the camera. "I'm 29 and from Texas. I'm a southern guy so I'm pretty chivalrous, you know, in my opinion. I've had quite a few girlfriends but I'm finally ready to settle down. My friend told me about this hot chick up in the New York looking for love or show shit so I thought I'd give it a shot. I really tried sitting through one of Rachel's musicals but I only got hallway before I had to turn it off. I mean, it was great and all but singing isn't really my thing. I like to dance, though."

Another man settled in the chair and his smile was bright and directed right at the camera, as if he was looking at his own reflection.

"Rachel already knows me, I'm Jesse St. James. I was the understudy for the male lead when she was in Mamma Mia! as Sophie. You were amazing, by the way, Rachel. I've never seen anyone own the stage like you before. I'm from LA and moved to New York City about ten years about when I was 19 so that should tell you I'm 29. I've been on Broadway for a few years, mostly as understudies but I did land a male lead last year and that musical ran for eight months," He shrugged. "I'm very talented and the only reason I haven't had bigger success is because I'm intimidating. I'm very similar to Rachel which is exactly why I think we belong together. We could take over Broadway and then New York."

The camera went black for a second but when it came back on a man was sitting in the chair, his elbows resting on his knees and his face was completely blank. He cleared his throat and tilted his head slightly as if he was thinking.

"I'm Noah Puckerman, age 27 so I'm the same age as Rachel. I didn't really even want to do this," He admitted. "I'm basically only here because Finn and my ma forced me to come. I uh, to tell you the truth, I have no idea who Rachel Berry is. And no, I'm not going to go research her on the internet because that's not how you get to know someone. The only thing I know about her is that she was on Broadway and she has a killer voice. If she decides to keep me around for a while, I'd be down to get to know her but I'm not going to go digging through trashy tabloids to try to find out who she is," He sighed and ran his hand over his mohawk before rubbing the back of his neck. "I guess she probably wants to know a little about me, doesn't she…?" He shook his head and chuckled. "I was born in Lima, Ohio and my dad walked out on me and my ma when I was six. She had my little sister three months later. Finn Hudson's my best friend, well, really, he's probably one of my only friends. I graduated from William McKinley High School and decided to major in music at Case Western. I was planning to head to LA after I got my degree but New York kind of sucked me in."

He shifted slightly and then smiled lazily at the camera. "It's a pretty amazing city. I can see why Rachel likes it so much. I've never seen her on the stage but I've heard her album she put out last year. She reminds me of my Nana Connie, I guess. Determined, kind of crazy, stubborn," He chuckled. "I know Rachel's Jewish, just like me, and I think that's why my mom pushed me so hard to try for this show. My mom has always wanted me to date a Jewish girl so I think this may appease her, at least for now.

"Rachel's gorgeous, by the way. Finn showed me her picture a couple years back when she posed for Peta and she was… sexy," He smirked at the camera. "I also know she's vegan, which is pretty cool. My ma always made me keep kosher so I don't eat much meat, either. I do eat a lot of beef but that's about it. I'm a pretty good cook but I don't bake. I've tried making cupcakes before but I always burn them. But, I mean, if Rachel likes cakes and brownies and all that stuff…" He paused as if he was thinking and glanced down for a few seconds before his gaze met the camera again with a level stare, "I could learn to bake."

The screen went fuzzy and then it panned out onto a view of Will Schuester standing with all the men that had just been in front of the camera.

"Well, there you have it folks, Rachel Berry's quest for love has officially begun." Will Schuester smiled into the camera. "Her closest friends, Santana Lopez and Quinn Fabray, have narrowed the contestants down to ten men. The ten men you just watched are going to duke it out, figuratively and literally, as they try to obtain Rachel's heart. I think she has her work cut out for her," He laughed slightly. "Next week we'll see what happens when Rachel meets her potential suitors for the first time. You know what they say, first impressions mean everything!"


	2. Chapter 2

I don't own Glee.

A/N: This is a rather quick update. Don't expect this to happen again because I'll probably stick to weekly updates like I usually do. All of the reviews you left were amazing and it inspired me to write quicker so keep on reviewing. Seriously, I didn't think I was going to get this type of response but I'm super happy you all like it so far.

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><p>"I like this one," Quinn grinned, holding up the file labeled 'Finn Hudson.'<p>

"Of course you would," Santana rolled her eyes. "He's like the golden boy. He's basically your high school boyfriend but older. He's way too innocent to ever be able to handle the star which is Rachel Berry."

Rachel smiled fondly, still flipping through the stack of files, as she listened to her two best friends argue.

"He's cute and tall and adorable. He's perfect for Rachel," Quinn countered.

"Yea, if she carries a step stool around with her everywhere," Santana snorted. "Listen, Q, we all know the five guys I picked for Rachel are going to kick your guys' asses."

"Are not!" Quinn glared at the Latina.

"Separate corners," Rachel huffed, rolling over to lie on her stomach. "Which of these guys did you pick, Quinn?"

Quinn smiled brightly, forgetting all about Santana for the moment and shuffled around, pulling out five folders and handing them to Rachel. "Finn Hudson, completely gorgeous and totally your type, Sam Evans, he likes to do impressions and I thought he was cute, Matt, well, really he's more my type but I'm sure you'll like him, and then Karofsky and Azimio weren't the best choices but you should have seen the other creeps I had to sift through. Plus, those two kind of reminded me of that ex-boyfriend of yours."

"You mean the one that stalked her for seven months?" Santana crossed her arms.

"What about you, San?" Rachel interjected, trying to end the fight before it began. Santana and Quinn didn't hate each other as much as they seemed to. Really, it was just because the two girls were so alike it scared them. Quinn and Santana show affection through intimidation and insults. It was something Rachel had become accustomed to and had would probably miss if the two ever stopped going at each other's throats every ten minutes. "They better be cute."

"First is Jesse St. James, he's kind of a douche but he's somewhat good-looking so I decided you'd like him. Umm… oh, right, Mike Chang. He's a great dancer, which I know you like, and he's really cute when he's nervous. Jacob Ben Israel isn't anything special and to be completely honest, the only reason I even picked him is to fuck with you. Because, you know, fucking with you is my favorite past-time. Then there's Artie Abrams, he's a computer nerd but I heard behind all those sweater vests and glasses, nerds are actually pretty great in the sack. We all know Rachel Berry likes it kinky. Or at least that's what I tell the tabloids."

"That's only four," Rachel pointed out and actually help up four fingers. "Come on, San, you made it through law school, I know you know how to count to five."

Santana smirked and moved to hold up a pretty thick folder. "I saved the best for last," She flipped the cover of the file open to reveal a picture of a man, smirking with his hands shoved into his pockets. "Noah Puckerman."

"He's got a mohawk," Rachel scrunched up her face. "And he's a player. Look at this file. Do you know how girlfriends it says he's had."

"No," Santana corrected. "It says he slept around a lot when he was younger. He hasn't had a serious girlfriend, like ever, and now he's too busy producing music to bang cheap skanks every night. Plus," Her painted fingernail pointed right at the necklace hanging from Puck's neck in the picture. "He's Jewish, something I know you find important. The mohawk can be shaved off and if he's coming on a show to potentially date Rachel Berry, he can't be as big of a player as you think."

"I don't know…" Rachel sighed. "I really like that Finn guy Quinn picked out. And that Sam was cute, too." She looked at the folders in front of her. "There's just so many men and I don't know what to do with them." Quinn smiled at Rachel and patted the girls shoulder.

"Finn Hudson? Really?" Santana asked. "You mean the guy that's only here because mommy is in love with you. Please, he's a class A douche, just like every other guy Q picked out. Well, I mean, Sam _is_ kind of cute and I'd probably fuck him but that's off topic."

"I just need time to think," Rachel groaned and glanced at the clock. "This, unfortunately, isn't going to happen because I have to be downstairs in twenty minutes to officially meet these guys. You two are going to be there right?"

"Are you kidding?" Santana asked. "Quinn and I are living here with you for the next ten weeks. I'm not leaving this amazing house unless there's a fire or we're going to a club."

"We'll be right beside you," Quinn nodded to Rachel.

/

"I didn't actually think you were going to make it on here," Finn admitted to Puck. "I mean, I mention Rachel all the time and you never seem interested."

Puck shrugged and his eyes drifted to the stair case to see Rachel slowly making her way down, right behind who he assumed to be Santana Lopez and Quinn Fabray. Fuck, Rachel had hot friends.

Rachel smiled warmly, standing shyly between Quinn and Santana and waited for Will to talk.

"Alright, guys, you should know who Rachel Berry is since you're all here to win her over. The girl to her left is Quinn Fabray and the one on the right is Santana Lopez. They're Rachel's two closest friends so don't forget that you have to get them to like you as well and not just Rachel. Quinn and Santana are going to be the ones putting you up for elimination so don't be rude," He turned to Rachel and she nodded. "Since today is only your second day being in the house, Rachel had decided to go easy on you. She'll be picking three of you to go on a private date with her today, one for breakfast, one for lunch, and the other for dinner. I realize this leaves seven men without any Rachel time but she will be stopping by to spend a few minutes with each of you to get to know you better today. So, Rachel…"

She smiled at the men and then looked to Santana and Quinn for guidance.

"Go with your gut, sweetie," Quinn told her.

"No, go with which ones make you want to fuck them," Santana countered. "That's who you pick."

There were a few chuckles but the men quickly straightened up when they realized Rachel was studying them all closely. Her eyes lingered on Finn before moving to Puck and staying there.

"You," She smiled at Puck. "Would you mind accompanying me to breakfast this morning?"

"Sure." Puck replied smoothly and Rachel raised her chin slightly.

"You don't sound so excited," Rachel arched an eyebrow. "If you don't want to be here, there's the door, you can leave. It won't hurt my feelings, but if you're here, and I mean actually here, for me, don't pretend like you don't care. The whole 'I could care less thing' doesn't work with me and I don't like. I'm a girl that wears her emotions on her sleeve. I need a man twho can do that as well."

Puck cleared his throat. "Well, breakfast doesn't really scream date; it's more of something you do with a friend or a guy you don't really like. Dinner is too romantic to have with a woman I don't know. To be honest, I'd rather have lunch with you. It's casual but we can still get to know each other."

Rachel was quiet for a few seconds and no one dared to speak. "Okay," She tilted her head slightly. "Would you care to accompany me to lunch this afternoon?" She asked with a small hint of challenge in her voice.

"I'd love to," Puck nodded at Rachel.

"What about you, Sam Evans, do you care to have a nice dinner with me? You know, as long as it's not too romantic," She winked at Puck before turning her gaze back to Sam.

"That would be an honor, Rachel," Sam smiled excitedly. "And romantic would be fine with me."

"Perfect," Rachel nodded, turning to the noticably tallest man of the group. "And that leaves breakfast. I was going to ask Finn to lunch but if you don't mind, I'd love to spend breakfast with you. I promise not to make it too boring."

"Of course," Finn grinned widely. "Any time I can spend with you is great."

"Alright, then, Finn, I'll be ready in about twenty minutes if you'll meet me in the limo," Her face turned serious and she looked at each of the men individually. "There will be an elimination this weekend so all of you better show me why you're here."

She turned on her heel and made her way back upstairs while Santana and Quinn lingered around. Will informed them the girls wanted to talk for a while so they all drifted into the common area.

"She likes you, you know," Santana mentioned casually once she had pulled Puck away from the group. "She wouldn't have picked f you she didn't."

"It doesn't feel like she likes me," Puck shrugged.

"Rachel Berry doesn't change her mind. Once she makes a decision she sticks with it. Not today, though. You made her change her mind and I've never seen anyone do that," Santana smirked. "There's hope for you yet, Noah Puckerman."

"I go by Puck," He informed her.

Santana shrugged. "You can't skate through this competition by acting like you don't give a shit that you're here. Do you know how hard it was for me to even get you on this show? If you don't straighten up, you're going to be the first to go. You have a lot of potential, Puckerman, and in my opinion, you could win this thing… if you want to."

"I do," Puck nodded. "I mean, I think I do."

"If you like her let her know. If you don't, why are you here?" Santana tilted her head slightly. "I'm not really supposed to be telling you all this but I know for a fact that Quinny is doing the exact same thing with that damn golden boy over there so I'm going to tell you what Rachel likes. The only difference is that I know Rachel better."

"That's Finn. He's uh, my friend," Puck frowned slightly, looking over at Quinn and Finn. "Rachel really likes him, doesn't she?"

"She does. And this is a competition, Puck, for right now, he's not your friend. I learned the hard way that friends are the first to stab you in the back when you both want the same thing," Santana shifted her weight to one leg. "Now, as for Rachel, she loves when men are chivalrous but at the same time, she wants to be an equal. Yes, I know, it's kind of contradicting, but Rachel is a walking contradiction. You'll learn that soon. She likes to be complimented but don't tell her she's hot because she wants to hear that she's pretty or her hair looks nice. Rachel pretends to hate the paparazzi but really, she loves to pose for the camera. When you go to lunch, she'll say you two can go through the back door to avoid the camera. Don't do that. Tell her you don't mind the cameras or whatever bullshit lie you can think of. Make sure you two go through the front door; let the cameras snap a few pictures. You'll end up on the cover of some magazine. By the way, she thinks her best pictures are from the front because then her nose doesn't look as big."

"Her nose isn't that big," Puck's frown deepened.

Santana chuckled, "Tell her that and you'll probably at least get a kiss on the cheek. You're in music, right? Talk about that. Music is Rachel's life so she'll love that it's a common interest between you."

Finn walked over then, to tell Puck he was heading out with Rachel.

"Yea, see ya, man," Puck nodded. "Good luck."

Santana waited until Finn had walked off before raising her eyebrows at Puck. "There aren't any friends in this competition. Remember that, Puckerman. At the end of this, only one guy is going to be left standing. If you want Rachel, you have to make sure you're that guy."

/

"I saw you talking to Noah Puckerman," Quinn commented casually as both she and Santana lay in their separate beds in the bedroom that was dedicated to them in the house. It was right down the hall from Rachel's bedroom, giving all three girls some privacy in case Rachel decided to bring a guy back to her room. "You really think he's right for Rachel? I just don't want Rachel getting hurt and I'm afraid he's not the monogamist type."

"To fall in love, you have to take chances. Possibly getting hurt is one of those chances, Quinny," Santana smiled softly. "I'm here to help Rachel so if I think for a second Puck isn't here for _her_, he'll be put up for elimination and then it'll be up to Rachel."

Quinn nodded silently and then sighed. "He is pretty cute, I guess."

"What about Finn? You still think he's perfect for Rachel?"

"He's sweet and goofy and…" Quinn sighed, "To be honest, he's knows everything about Rachel Berry and I'm not sure how that's going to work. Rachel likes her privacy and she only tells people what she wants them to know about her."

"What do you think she and Finn are doing right now?" Santana asked and checked the clock on the wall. "It's almost ten, they should be back soon."

As if on cue, Rachel chose that moment to walk in and she collapsed onto Santana's bed with a content sigh. "I think he's perfect. Like, really, he doesn't have one flaw. Well, actually, he's not as smart as most of the guys I date but he's so sweet and nice and charming. Ugh, why couldn't I have met him five years ago?"

"Did he kiss you?" Santana asked.

"No," Rachel shook her head and blushed. "But I think he wanted to. He was probably just too nervous or something. He fed me grapes, girls, hand-fed me food. And I usually don't like people feeding me food but… I don't know. It was just amazing."

"Sounds like you want to send the other nine guys home and keep Finn," Quinn raised an eyebrow. "Do I need to cancel your lunch date?"

"No," Rachel sighed and smiled again. "I wish I could have spent more time with Finn, though. I think I'm going to pull him aside this evening after I get back with Sam."

"No guys in your bedroom, Rachel," Quinn warned. "It's too soon to be sleeping with any of them."

"Are you going to get ready for your lunch date with Puck?" Santana asked and Rachel scrunched up her face. "Puck's a nickname," She shrugged.

"Oh," Rachel stood up. "Help me pick out an outfit, okay?"

/

"You excited about your date with Rachel?" Mike asked Sam. The two boys were lying on their beds in the room they shared with Puck and Matt. "Puckerman was right, dinner is romantic."

"I'm not worried about it," Sam shrugged. "It'll be great. Rachel's amazing."

Puck walked in then and flopped back on his bed. His arm fell over his eyes to block out the light and he glanced over at Sam and Mike, who were staring back at him. "What?" He asked.

"Nothing," Sam rolled over to his back and tossed the football he was holding to Mike, who was doing the same on the other side of the room. The ball hit Mike's chest with a thud and Mike frowned, throwing the ball back. Sam laughed, ducking and it flew straight past him to land on Puck's face.

"Fuck!" Puck shot up from the bad and licked his lips to taste blood. "The fuck, man? Why you gotta throw shit?" He tossed the ball into the corner of the room and glared at Mike.

"Sorry," Mike smiled sheepishly. "I wasn't aiming for you."

"Sorry to interrupt," Quinn cleared her throat from the doorway.

"Rachel's waiting in the limo, Puckerman," Santana raised a brow at his clenched fists. "Why don't you take a few minutes to calm down before you leave?"

"I'm fine," Puck sucked in a quick breath and his hands relaxed beside him. "It was an accident, Mike, I get it." He stalked out of the room, mumbling something under his breath repeatedly, almost like a mantra.

"What'd he say?" Quinn asked Santana as the two girls made their way back upstairs.

Santana glanced back to see Puck walking out of the front door. "I'm not my father," She replied softly, her brow furrowing as she tried to figure out who exactly Noah Puckerman was.

/

"Hey," Rachel smiled brightly when Puck slid into the limo. She took in his appearance quickly. He was wearing a dark grey cotton t-shirt that formed a slight 'v' in the front. His pants were dark gray as well, but faded out and hung loosely on his hips. Her smile broadened when she saw he was still wearing his Star of David necklace. "You okay, you look upset?"

"I'm fine," He assured her, sliding in his seat so their knees were touching. She didn't seem to mind.

"You're lip," She twisted around so she could see his face better as the limo pulled off, taking them to the restaurant. "It's bleeding," The corners of her mouth turned down and he didn't like it.

His tongue darted out to lick the blood away. His thumb itched to reach out and smooth down the crease that was forming between her eyebrows. "You can kiss it better," He chose to go with humor, trying to change the subject.

Her smile was back and she laughed softly. "You'd like that, wouldn't you?"

"Yes," He replied quickly and completely serious.

The laughter died out and she drew in a slow breath, trying to read his face. "I usually don't kiss on the first date," She told him, her eyes focusing on his lips.

"I won't tell if you don't," His voice was deep, almost husky, and it made Rachel shudder.

"I've never met anyone like you, Noah Puckerman."

"Is that good or bad?" He asked, challenging her to lean forward with his gaze.

"Definitely good," Her reply was honest and light.

He took in her outfit, the way her white shirt was slightly baggy on her small frame. She had chosen a black leather skirt that stopped mid-thigh and he could help but think about letting his hands glide up her tanned legs. Her shirt dipped down a considerable amount but the cleavage seh exposed was still tasteful. She had on this pair of black ballet flats and his eyes zeroed in on the charm bracelet she was wearing. Hanging from the gold chain fastened around her wrist was a single Star of David charm.

He leaned forward, his lips brushing against her lips and she whimpered softly, making him chuckle. "You want me to kiss you?" He whispered against her lips.

She nodded. "But I shouldn't."

"Why is that?" He asked, pulling away slightly and her thumb reached out to wipe away the lipstick she had left on his lip.

"Finn talked about you this morning. He said you were kind of a player and he couldn't imagine you being in a monogamist relationship," Rachel's eyes were still focused on his lips but he was searching her eyes. "Was he right?"

Puck was a little upset that Finn had said those things but then Santana's words flashed in his head: _There aren't any friends in this competition._ He smiled at Rachel, "I'm here, aren't I?"

Rachel grinned as well and pushed herself back from Puck and he glanced out the window to see they were pulling up on the restaurant Rachel ahd picked. "We can go in through the back," She suggested lightly.

"It's fine," He assured her and the door of the limo opened, cameras already flashing in his face as he stepped out.

He took Rachel's hand to help her out and he noticed her megawatt smile was already in place. He wasn't used to this kind of attention but Rachel seemed to crave it. His arm slipped around her waist and she nestled into the spot under his arm. She looked up at him questioningly and he nodded, letting her know it was okay for them to get a few pictures. He slipped his free hand into his pocket while the other hugged at her side.

He leaned down, his breath tickling her ear. "Your smile looks fake and it makes you seem uptight," He told her and her smile faltered. "Come on, show me a real smile, Rach."

The nickname slipped from his lips before he could stop it and then she was looking at him again, her eyes sparkling a little bit. He grinned as well when he saw she had a genuine smile in place and then he led her inside, away from the cameras.

Their table was in the back, away from everyone else, and the set up was nice. Puck made sure to pull Rachel's chair out for her before taking his own seat.

Rachel sipped on the water in front of her and then she cleared her throat. "Tell me about yourself, Noah."

"There's not much to tell," He shrugged and glanced up at her. "You already know I'm from Lima. My dad wasn't the nicest man and he had a lot of trouble controlling his anger," He sighed and his eyes darted away from her. "He knocked my mom around a lot. Luckily, he left when I was six but my mom was six months pregnant so it was hard on us growing up. She worked two jobs and she was never home so it was left up to me a lot to take care of my sister. Finn's dad died when he was young, too, so that's why we're so close. We've been best friends since kindergarten. Anyway, I was pretty popular in high school. Finn and I both played football," He sucked in a breath. "I got mixed up with the wrong crowd and I did some stupid shit. Finn was there to help me up when I bottomed-out. My junior year I straightened out, I raised my gpa, and by some stroke of luck, I got accepted into Case."

"That's very impressive, Noah," Rachel smiled softly. "Keep going."

"I moved up to New York right after I graduated and I've been here ever since. I produce records, mostly pop music but I have dabbled a bit in country," He grinned. "And now I'm here, with you."

Noah Puckerman wasn't anything like Rachel expected. He surprised her all through lunch with his stories of the crazy things he had done since arriving in New York and it made her wonder how different her life would be if she hadn't chose Broadway. She could actually walk down the street without being asked for an autograph or have cameras flashing in her face.

And Rachel definitely didn't expect for her to let Noah kiss her in the limo all the way back to the house. She didn't expect to like it as much as she did, either. Suddenly, spending extra time with Finn was the furthest thing from her mind.

* * *

><p>AN: So the reviews you guys left are amazing. I haven't had time to reply to any of them but I'll try to get to those soon. I'm trying to come up with the final five and the only ones I've figured out is Puck, Sam, and Finn. The other two spots are open so let me know what you think.


	3. Chapter 3

I don't own Glee.

/

"Noah," Rachel pulled back from him slightly and he looked at her confused. "We should get inside. We've been sitting in this limo for the past fifteen minutes outside the house."

"Okay," He replied gruffly but then his tongue was in her mouth again and she lost her train of thought.

He was gripping her hips a little too hard but she didn't mind. The leather skirt made it hard for her to straddle him so it had ridden up on her hips quite a bit as she grinded down on him. She wiggled on top of him, searching for some kind of relief from the ache between her thighs.

She knew she should be embarrassed. She was 27 years old and she was essentially dry-humping a man she had known for less than a day in a limo. Her body rocked on top of his and it only encouraged her when he would groan into her mouth. He had one hand gripping her hip while the other had tangled itself into her hair.

Puck pulled on her hair roughly, making her head tip back, and then his lips moved to kiss her neck. She was breathing raggedly and laughed softly when his other hand slid up her side, tickling her. He repeated action just because he liked the sound of her laugh.

"Rachel," Her name was quick off his lips and it brought her crashing back to reality. "Fuck," He ground the word out when she once again rocked her pelvis into his. "Don't do that shit, babe."

The door of the limo quickly opened and then both Santana and Quinn were poking their heads in. Quinn gasped at the sight but Santana just slid inside with a smirk in place.

"Don't let us interrupt," Santana crossed her arms and raised her eyebrows after Quinn sank into the spot beside her and shut the door. "Continue."

Rachel cleared her throat and moved off of Noah's lap with as much dignity she could muster after being caught acting like a hormone-crazed teenage by her two best friends. She licked her lips and pushed her skirt down, squirming into the spot beside Noah.

"I'll find you later," She told him and he nodded.

She glanced over at Santana and Quinn, who were watching the pair closely, as Puck leaned towards her. "Promise?" He asked.

Rachel knew it was crazy to be so turned on by that one word but she couldn't help the giggle that escaped before she pulled her bottom lip between her teeth. She nodded, "Promise."

He smirked and kissed her once more, this time slowly and a little less rough than a few minutes ago, but it didn't stop Rachel's heart from speeding up any less. He exited the limo without another word, shutting the door quietly behind him and then Quinn and Santana were both laughing.

"Oh, my God!" Quinn's eyes widened. "That was…"

"Hot," Santana smiled. "God, Rachel, get a room next time."

Rachel huffed, "Might I remind you Noah and I were inside the privacy of this limo when you two rudely interrupted." She crossed her arms and narrowed her eyes at her friends.

"It's a good thing we did," Santana laughed. "We don't need you getting knocked up right now and I'm pretty sure he would _rise_ to the occasion if you get my drift," She snickered at the innuendo and ignored Quinn's light slap on the leg. "God, he's hot. I swear, Rachel, if you ever send him home, I'm getting his number."

Rachel rolled her eyes but couldn't keep the smile from her face. "Let's get inside."

"Why? So you can find Puck again and let him screw your brains out?" Quinn asked, arching a brow as the three girls exited the limo and made their way towards the house.

"No," Rachel pulled the front door of the house open, fighting against the blush threatening to betray her. "I need to get to know these guys better and so far I've only talked to Finn and Noah."

"Start with Matt Rutherford," Quinn suggested. "I've been talking to him all afternoon and he's so cute."

"We're here to find love for Rachel, Quinny, not you, so stop flirting with him," Santana teased.

"Oh, Rachel!" A voice called and then a shy woman from the production crew was rushing towards Rachel. "We need to fix your microphone," It took Rachel a few seconds but she finally remembered the woman's name was Tina. "Mr. Puckerman must have hit it in the limo and now it's not working."

"Right, of course," Rachel blushed again and let someone from the sound crew fumble with the microphone on her back for a few seconds. "Sorry about that," She smiled at Tina once they were through.

"No problem," Tina waved it off.

"She's nice," Quinn murmured once the three friends walked off. "She's really shy but she's still really sweet."

"She's weird," Santana countered. "Did you see what she was wearing? I think she's one of those people that actually think vampires are_ real_."

Quinn rolled her eyes, "For your information, I've had several conversations with Tina and she just likes to dress that way. She doesn't even like vampire movies. They scare her, Santana."

"Yea," Santana snorted. "Because pale, sparkly guys are scary."

"What about when he watches her sleep? How is that not rape-y?" Quinn countered.

Rachel sighed, drifting off from her friends because she knew they weren't going to stop this fight anytime soon. Puck was standing in the common area playing pool with a few of the guys when she caught his gaze. She licked her lips and he nodded at her before turning back for his turn. She tried not to ogle his backside too much when he leaned over the table.

Her eyes scanned the room and Jesse St. James caught her eye. He was staring back at her and smirking. She grinned as well and made her way over to him, falling onto the couch beside him lightly.

"Hi," She smiled warmly and looked at the book he was reading. "Great book."

"Thanks," He sat the book down and scooted towards her. "I've got to say, I'm surprised it took you so long to talk to me. I can't believe you didn't pick me for one of your dates. I mean, how could you pass up this?" He gestured to his face.

She raised an eyebrow and stifled a snort. "I can assure you it wasn't personal. I have ten men here and there's only one of me. Don't worry, you'll get a date with me soon enough."

"You won't be disappointed," Jesse assured her and then reached out to catch a lock of hair between his fingers. "I love your hair," He twisted the lock around and his grin deepened. "And your smile. I love everything about you."

Rachel blushed and subtly pulled back so his fingers would leave her hair when she saw Puck was watching the pair closely. "Thank you. That's very sweet, Jesse. I'm going to go talk to some of the other men, okay?"

She met Puck's gaze again as she walked towards the pool table. His eyes followed her and that might have had something to do with the way she swayed her hips a bit more.

"Hey, boys," Rachel smiled and looked around at Puck, Finn, Sam, and Mike playing pool. "Mind if I borrow you, Mike?" She asked.

"No," Mike grinned, handing his pool stick off to Sam.

"I'll talk to you later, Sam," Rachel added before walking off with Mike. "How have you been? I hope you like your roommates. I tried to pair up the guys I thought would get along best. I put you with Sam, Noah, and Matt, I think, so hopefully there haven't been any problems."

"It's been okay but it's only been two days so I'm sure all the testosterone will overflow eventually." He smiled as he led her towards the pool outside. "It's a pretty nice house here."

"It's a rental," She told him. "I live in a penthouse but the producers thought this house would work better," She shrugged. "Do you like New York?"

"I was raised here so I don't really know how different it is everywhere else. I love New York," He looked down at her. "There's always something to do here."

"I feel the same way," Rachel led him to the ledge of the pool and they sat to let their feet dangle in the water. "I couldn't imagine living anywhere else. My family is here and my friends… New York is my life."

"Who do you like so far?" He asked, looking around almost as if he was afraid of her answer.

"To be honest, I'm not sure who I like yet. I've only known you all for a day. Finn is sweet," She nodded. "And then there's Noah. He's different but I like him. Sam's cute and he seems nice," She sighed but then smiled at him. "And you. I like you so far."

He blushed lightly and grinned, looking down at her. "I like you, too."

"That's good," She whispered softly and then bit into her lip. "Santana talked to a lot of your friends and family before you came onto the show. They all said you were very quiet and very observant. They said you were a very good judge of character. What do you think of the guys?"

He pursed his lips. "You want my honest opinion?" He asked and she nodded slowly. "Matt's quiet like me because he's afraid you won't notice him. Sam loves to do impressions and he's dying to do one for you but he doesn't want to scare you off. Finn is from a small town and he's always going to be a small town guy. I don't know if he can handle New York. Azimio and Karofsky seem to be into each other more than they are you. Jacob gives off that stalker vibe and he keeps a journal of everything you do. It's kind of creepy. Artie raps a lot so that's kind of funny. And he can sing so I think you'll like that. Jesse's really conceited if you haven't noticed and he thinks he's already won this competition."

She raised her eyebrows. "That's really observant," She sighed. "What about Noah?"

"Like I said, it's only been two days. I don't really even know these guys," He looked away from her. "He's scared. Puck, he likes you but he doesn't want to because he's scared you're going to blow him off for some other guy. He's got major trust issues and… he cares about you, Rachel. That's all I know; that's all I can tell you."

"Thank you, Mike," Rachel let her fingers tangle with his for a few seconds before she stood up. "I think I'm going to go talk to Jacob now."

"Good luck," Mike called after her.

Mike had been right, Jacob was creepy. Rachel had only been talking to him for a few minutes when he told her he loved her and he asked to get under her shirt. Luckily, Santana had stepped in then and informed Jacob that if he wanted to potentially have children in the future, he better keep his hands to himself. Artie sang her a small song and Rachel really liked that but sadly, she had to move on to the other guys before he could sing to her anymore. She found Matt in his room, lounging on his bed and she spent a considerable amount of time with him. Azimio and Karofsky mentioned a threesome at least seven times in the five minutes Rachel spent with them after they refused to talk to her seperately.

Quinn and Santana led Rachel back upstairs to Rachel's room and the three woman tangled together on Rachel's bed. "What do you think so far?" Quinn asked, her feet across Santana's lap while Rachel's head sat in the blondes lap.

"I dunno," Rachel yawned. "Who are you going to put up for elimination this weekend?"

"We don't know either," Santana admitted. "I think that Jacob guy needs to go. He's about five minutes away from snooping through your underwear drawer."

There was a knock at the door and when Rachel told whoever it was to enter, Tina barged in, worry etched on her face.

"I thought you'd like to know there was just a huge fight downstairs. Two of the guys are pretty messed up," Tina said quickly, motioning for Rachel to follow her downstairs.

Santana, Rachel, and Quinn quickly jumped up and hurried downstairs after Tina to the common area. "Oh, my, God," Rachel gasped, taking in the damage.

Security was holding Karofsky and Azimio back in a small corner of the room. Sam and Finn were surrounding Puck, who seemed to have gotten the worst of the hits. Mike and Matt were helping Jesse off the floor. Artie and Jacob were just standing to the side, watching everything closely.

"What happened?" Rachel asked and all hell broke loose as everyone starting talking at once to answer her question.

Karofsky and Azimio still looked pissed, trying to get past the security to get to Jesse. Rachel's brow furrowed, catching little bits and pieces of what led up to the fight. Jesse started the fight, mouthing off to Azimio and then Karofsky punched Jesse.

"Enough!" Rachel yelled and the room was silent.

She looked around quickly, taking one of the ice packs from Tina and walked over to the couch where Puck was slumped. His eyebrow was split open and his lip was busted again. There was an ever-growing bruise on his right eye but she noticed his knuckles were clean, meaning he either didn't hit back or he used the heel of his hand.

"What happened, Noah?" She asked softly and pressed the cold pack to his eye.

He winced and sucked in a breath at the contact. "I don't even know what started it but I saw those two," He pointed at Karofsky and Azimio, "ganging up on St. James so I had to step in. They were laying it on him good and I kind of got pulled in. Fuck, that hurt," He tried to laugh but stopped when the pain shot through his jaw. "Shit."

"Okay," Rachel furrowed her brow and used a tissue to wipe some of the blood from his eye. "You didn't hit them back?" She questioned him.

Puck looked up at her and shook his head. "No."

She nodded, thinking back to what he told her earlier about his father. She straightened up and looked around the room. "Everyone, get cleaned up. We're having an elimination… tonight." She stormed out of the room, Quinn and Santana hot on her tail.

The guys looked around at each other, each growing worried they would be sent home.

/

"You sure about this?" Santana asked Rachel as the three friends stood in the elimination room, waiting for Will to bring the guys in. "You don't have to send anyone home."

Rachel didn't reply, just stood straighter as the guys drifted in to form two lines in front of her. She smiled as sweetly as possible. Santana and Quinn moved to stand beside her and then Rachel cleared her throat.

"I do not condone any type of violence. Bullying is something I won't allow, whether it be physical," She looked to Karofsky and Azimio, "Or verbal," She matched Jesse with a level stare. "I don't know everything that happened this afternoon but it won't happen again. I wasn't the most popular girl growing up and bullying was big problem with me. I was an easy target because I was out-spoken and determined," She swallowed and looked at Puck. "Violence is never the answer. Fighting with words and punches shows you're the weaker man than if you had walked away. I've spent most of my career advocating for the victims of hate crimes and bullying. So, that being said, someone is going home tonight and I hope it shows how strongly I feel about this matter."

"Sam," Rachel began. "I'm sorry our date got cancelled today so I'd like for you to stay and go to dinner with me tomorrow night."

His face broke out in a smile and he walked towards her. "Thank you," He was a little surprised when she handed him a star-shaped cookie with his name on it.

"You can have a seat on the couch over there," She told him. "You're safe for another week."

"Can I eat this?" He asked, holding up the cookie.

Rachel laughed, "Yes."

"Cool," He walked off the platform and sank onto the couch, munching on the cookie.

Rachel looked back at the men and took a deep breath. "Finn," She called out his name and held out his own cookie with his name iced in cursive on top. "You're safe."

She let Finn kiss her cheek before she moved to pick up another cookie. "Mike," She smiled up at the Asian man walking towards her. "We didn't get to talk long but I'd love it if you stayed for a bit longer."

He grinned, taking the cookie and shoving it into his mouth. "Thanks, Rachel," He moved past her to sit beside Sam.

She continued on, calling out Matt's name, then Artie's, and surprisingly, Jacob's. She looked at the men in front of her and raised her brow. "You can see that the four men left in front of me are the ones that were involved in the altercation this afternoon. Noah, come here."

Puck wiped his palms on his jeans before stepping past Karofsky and Azimio to get to Rachel. He swallowed thickly. He definitely didn't expect to be this nervous. He wondered if it was because he was in front of at least six cameras or if it was the possibility of not seeing Rachel again after tonight.

"You're nervous?" She asked with a small smile playing on her lips. "You did a very noble thing today, Noah. You tried to break up a fight that had nothing to do with you. Even though you should have let security take care of it, I'm impressed. You don't even know Jesse and you still helped him," She looked over Puck's shoulder to eye Jesse. "You should thank him. Noah probably saved your face today, Jesse," Her attention turned back to Puck and he glanced down at his feet. "Tell me what you're thinking, Noah."

He chewed on the inside of his cheek, glancing up to meet Santana's imploring eyes before leveling his stare on Rachel. "I'm hoping you don't reject me on national television. My ma is going to watch this."

Rachel laughed softly. "You have nothing to be nervous about, Noah," She reached behind her to pick up a cookie. "Yours was the first I made. I just made you wait because I wanted to know if you actually cared."

He gingerly took the cookie from her and his chest swelled when he saw 'Noah' written neatly in cursive right there on a star-shaped cookie. He swallowed a gulp of air and couldn't keep the wide grin off his face. "That was kind of fucked up, Rach."

Rachel smiled and leaned up on her tiptoes to kiss his cheek. "Have a seat on the couch, Noah."

He nodded, still holding tightly to the cookie, and did as she said. Her face grew serious and she gestured for Jesse to step forward.

"I don't know what happened this afternoon but I do know you had something to do with it. Bullying isn't just physical. I might have been slushied in high school for being in Glee club but the things I remember most were the words written on the bathroom stalls and the insults hurled at my face daily. Words can hurt just as much as punches can, Jesse. I'm glad you didn't get that hurt today and because I truly believe you didn't mean to be cruel, you're staying," She held out his cookie. "But you're hanging on by a very thin wire. I'd watch your step because next week… your name may not be on one of these cookies."

Jesse nodded wordlessly and walked past Rachel. He didn't dare offer a rebuttal; he was just glad he was still here. He had expected this competition to go a lot more smoothly for him.

"Dave, Azimio, come down here," She pointed in front of her and everyone was reminded of a mother disciplining her child. "I have no idea what your intentions are for being here. It's been pointed out on more than one occasion that you two seem to be more interested in each other than me. I don't know why you're here, honestly," She sighed. "This is why there aren't any more cookies behind me. I'd like you both to pack your bags tonight and leave. You two can go back to Florida. I can't have you two endangering anyone else. I can't be with anyone that is violent."

"Well," Will took over for Rachel. "It looks like our first elimination was not only premature but also sees two men home. Dave, Azimio, your stars have burned out. Please pack your bags and leave immediately."

Rachel moved off the platform and quickly left the room. Quinn and Santana followed after her, watching as Rachel walked up to the stairs to fall onto her bed.

"I need a nap," Rachel groaned. "Remind me again why I agreed to do this show."

"Because you're Rachel Berry and you never pass up an opportunity to perform," Santana smiled. "You're here for love, Rachel, remember? You're tired of having a non-existent love life and you thought this would be the best way to meet nice guys."

"This week has been crazy. It's only been one day and I've already sent two men home," Rachel pulled the pillow over her head.

"You did the right thing," Quinn assured her and then there was a knock at the door.

Rachel sat up on the bed, prepared for Tina to come in with more bad news, but when Santana pulled the door open, it was Puck standing on the other side.

"Is it okay if I talk to Rachel for a minute?" He asked, still visibly nervous.

"We'll give you some privacy," Quinn pulled Santana from the room and Puck shut the door behind them.

Rachel moved to sit on the edge of the bed with her feet dangling over and Puck help up the cookie. "I didn't think I was going to get one," He admitted. "I like you, Rachel, a lot more than I thought I was going to. When Finn and my ma told me about this I thought you were going to be this annoying rich woman I couldn't stand," He stepped further into the room. "You're nothing like that and it scares me. It scares me because I was standing up there and you kept calling out the names… it felt like ever before you called _my_ name. I've never wanted anything more than this damn cookie and that's crazy because I don't even know you, Rachel. I mean, I know about you but I don't _you_."

"Noah," Rachel pursed her lips and patted the spot on the bed beside her. She didn't continue until he was sitting beside her. "I like you, too. And that's crazy because you're not my type at all. Finn, Sam, I've always dated guy like them and then you come on this show and…" She smiled softly. "You have this ridiculous eighties style haircut and you're different, Noah. I don't know how to explain it anymore but you are. And that scares me, too."

He nodded and smiled lamely. "You wanna share the cookie?" He asked and she giggled.

"I'd love to," She scooted a little closer to him.

/

"You're Finn right?" Jesse walked over to the tall man who was brushing cookie crumbs off his lap.

"Yea," Finn nodded.

"I have a proposition for you," Jesse smirked and sat down next to Finn as he began to explain his plan.


	4. Chapter 4

Hello,

You were probably expecting a new chapter of this fic but we have some bad news. Amber, or as you know her, acaudill0068, has been in a very serious car accident. She was driving back late Saturday night from Tennessee where she was visiting her grandparents when she was struck by a drunk driver. The driver was fine but Amber wasn't so lucky. She is currently in the ICU and was put into a medically induced coma due to brain swelling. The doctors aren't sure how long she's going to be in the coma but it could be days, weeks, months, maybe longer. She's in critical condition right now but everyone is very confident she's going to pull through.

Our names are Crista and Elizabeth and we're close friends of Amber. We know how important her current fics on this site are to her so we were planning on working on them in our spare time to keep them updated while she's still in the hospital. We weren't sure if this would be okay with her readers but we know she doesn't want to make you guys wait for an update. They may not be as often as hers were - weekly - but we'll work on them as much as we can. She's got most of the fics planned out and outlined so we'll stay as close as we can to her ideas.

We'll work to keep everyone updated on her condition and we hope she'll be waking up any day now. As soon as the swelling goes down the doctors plan to awaken her but it's just touch and go right now. She's pretty beat up but she's a very strong and stubborn girl so she won't give up without a fight.

It would be great if you could just leave a review letting us know what you all think about us keeping up with her fics. We'll post as frequently as we can but it may be about a week before we get anything up on the site.

Amber wasn't a very religious person but please keep her in your prayers and, at the very least, send good thoughts her way. She's recovered quite a bit from that trauma of the accident and it only happened last night so that's a great sign. Unfortunately, the swelling hasn't gone down any but we're staying positive! We'll definitely keep you posted on her condition when we do update so there's no need to worry. Her family is by her side and she'll pull through this. We plan to visit her daily or as often as we can to read her the reviews you guys leave.

We know how grateful she is to have such amazing readers so Lizzy and I will work our hardest to keep up with her writing style. Hopefully we won't stray too far from her storylines!

Thanks for reading,

Crista and Elizabeth


	5. Chapter 5

AN: There hasn't been much change since the other day so I don't really have much to say. Amber coded once on Monday and then again on Wednesday because her blood pressure kept bottoming out. In the past few days she's been pretty stable so hopefully she stays like that. The doctors said she may be able to hear everything around her so we've been talking to her a lot. I read most of the reviews you guys left and then Lizzy brought in a stereo. Another of Amber's friends, Derrick, made up a neat playlist with all of her favorite songs. Most of them are by Lea Michele or come from Broadway and the doctors were pretty impressed because a few minutes after the songs started to play her BP started to rise dramatically. We took that as a great sign since it's been pretty low since she was admitted, even with all the medicine the doctors are giving her.

The swelling has gone down quite a bit but the doctors think it's still going to be at least a week before they're able to wake her. They're slightly concerned because they were only anticipating for her to be in the coma for a few days and now it's been almost a week. While there isn't a reason to be worried just yet, the doctors are concerned about cognitive impairment if the swelling doesn't go down sooner.

She has several broken bones - a fractured hip, two broken femurs, a broken ulna, a few cracked ribs, and a broken clavicle - a few bruised ribs, some internal bleeding, and burns covering most of her arms, stomach, and right leg so you can tell she's pretty beat up. Even after all this, we're remaining positive. She _will_ pull through this. We just have to hope it is soon.

When she does wake up, she's still going to have some major problems. The doctors say she'll need a physical therapist because she'll most likely have to learn how to walk again. She also may need a speech therapist if the brain damage she got from the accident is severe. Once she wakes up, her road to recovery is going to take some time. It may be months before she's able to return fully to her life.

I'm not trying to upset anyone by this news but I think everyone needs to know the risks of her condition. There's really no reason to worry at this point. Amber has the best doctors and nurses caring for her so she'll be perfectly fine.

The doctors think the reason it's taking so long for the swelling to go down is because body is working so hard on healing her other wounds. She has 3rd degree burns and those are hard to heal, especially in Amber's state.

Now, I've gotten several messages asking about sending flowers or cards to Amber. While I really appreciate the sentiment I'm going to have to politely decline for three reasons. One, the hospital doesn't like a lot of deliveries, especially in the ICU. Two, Amber does like her privacy so I'm sure if she'd like me giving away her location or anything.

Amber has this unnatural ability to make anyone and everyone like her. She's insanely kind and would go out of her way to help just about anyone. This brings us to my third reason and that is her room is already overflowing from flowers and get-well-cards, and even stuffed giraffes - she love giraffes. Lizzy and I have even decorated her room a bit more to bring in some positive energy.

So, the gifts, though much appreciated, aren't necessary. She's got plenty of friends sending her flowers and such but you all can keep sending good thoughts and keep her in your prayers. All her family and friends, me included, are so thankful for all your kind words and thoughts. They're keeping us all positive so thank you. Her parents really appreciate it, especially her mom.

I'm sure a lot of you were expecting an actual update to these fics and Lizzy and I are both trying really hard to work on them. We both work full-time so it's hard to find time to write on them between work and visiting Amber. I have no idea how Amber found time to keep so many fics going at once because she goes to school full-time and has two full-time jobs. Plus, Lizzy's married and thirty-seven weeks pregnant so she's trying to get ready for the baby. I actually have worked on a few of the chapters but I'm afraid I'm going to go in a different direction than Amber wanted. Hopefully, Amber will be awake soon and then maybe she could tell me what to write since she won't be able to type it up herself.

Also, a lot of people are asking about the drunk driver. To be honest, I really could care less what happens to him. I did hear that he had some internal bleeding that wasn't caught at first so I think he was in the hospital for a few days - luckily, not the same one as Amber - but I'm pretty sure he's still okay. I do know that he will be charged and I think he's even awaiting a hearing now.

I will definitely keep everyone updated on her condition if it dramatically changes or she wakes up. Again, thanks to everyone that has shown their support. I haven't had time to reply to each and every review that has been left but we all really do appreciate it. If you have any other questions about her condition just let me know and I'll be sure to get back to you as soon as possible.

Crista


	6. Chapter 6

So, good news everyone, Amber is awake! The swelling went down faster than the doctors were anticpating and they woke her up Monday afternoon. I meant to let you all know sooner but it's been pretty hectic. There were doctors coming and going from her room all day yesterday and most of the day today. It doesn't seem as though she had any major damage cognitively but her memory is a little fuzzy. She doesn't remember anything about the accident and she keeps mixing up words. Her sentences don't always make sense but the doctors say that's normal after this kind of accident and that it's probably temporary.

She had barely been awake 24 hours before she was asking the doctors when she could go home and, of course, that made us all laugh because it was the first time she actually sounded like Amber since waking up.

She's having a bit of a hard time with all the burns and the broken bones. She wants to get up and get back to work, school, etc. but she's basically on strict bed rest right now. They can't fit her into hard casts right now because of the burns so the healing process is going to take a bit longer than normal but she should start her harder physical therapy in about six weeks.

A main reason it took me so long to get you all updated is because I spent all day Tuesday trying to find a PT for Amber. The one the hospital referred her to kind of clashed with Amber as soon as they met. Amber wanted to set up harder goals than the PT was comfortable with. Luckily, I found a great therapist that will keep her motivated and who will push her like she wants but still be sure to not push her too hard.

But like I said, her memory is a little shot right now. She didn't really even remember who Lizzy was at first Monday. The doctors assured us it's only temporary but I think it's frustrating Amber. She tried to ask for water yesterday and she couldn't remember what a straw was called. She's doing better today and she does have a speech therapist coming to work with her tomorrow afternoon so hopefully Amber will be getting back on track quickly.

I'm not exactly sure what else I can tell you about Amber's condition right now other than she's stable. I just wanted you all to know what was going on with her. Again, thanks to everyone that has shown your concern and hopefully the next time you all get an update it's from Amber and not me!

Crista


	7. Chapter 7

Don't own Glee.

A/N: I meant to get this posted this morning but my Speech therapist took up most of my morning. Anyway, here it is and thanks to everything that has stuck through the craziness over the last two weeks.

-Amber

*/*

"I'm glad you two agreed to have breakfast with me," Rachel smiled at Jesse and Jacob as they walked back towards the house. "I had a lot of fun getting to know both of you. You'll be joining me by the pool tonight won't you?"

"Of course," Jesse leaned over to kiss her cheek and she grinned. He was awfully cute. "I wouldn't miss seeing you in your bathing suit." She blushed then and watched him walk off.

She turned to find Jacob staring at her as if he was waiting for something. "Are you okay?" She asked and furrowed her brow before realizing what he wanted. "Thanks for breakfast, Jacob," She pecked his cheek lightly before climbing the stairs to her bedroom.

She needed a few minutes alone but apparently that wasn't happening because Finn was waiting in her room for her. He was sitting on the small couch in the corner when she walked in and he stood quickly when he saw her.

"Finn?" She smiled. "What are you doing here? Why aren't you downstairs with the rest of the guys?"

"I haven't seen very much of you this week," He shrugged.

"Oh," She sighed. "Well, it's been very busy."

"Yea," He frowned. "You always seem to make time for Puckerman. I mean, ever since you sent Karofsky and Azimio home last week, you two have basically been inseperable."

"Excuse me?" She asked.

"Why are the rest of us even here? You obviously favor Puck so I don't understand why you haven't sent the rest of us home," Finn told her. "You basically ignore the rest of us guys and it's starting to annoy me."

"I came into this house looking for love just like you supposedly did. Just because I've been spending time with Noah doesn't mean I don't like the rest of you just as much. Okay, yes, maybe I do care about Noah but isn't that the point of this show? To find love? I'm not saying I've found it with Noah already but it's none of your business who I spend my time with," Rachel crossed her arms. Who did he think he was to be in her bedroom and talking to her like this?

"A few of us guys are getting pissed and I didn't come up here to start a fight," He started to surrender but she seemed to just be getting started.

"A few of you?" She asked. "And who would that few be?"

"I didn't-"

"Who?" She demanded and Finn sighed.

"It's just me and Jesse," He told her quietly.

"I think you should go now," She opened her bedroom door again. "I have to get ready for lunch with Matt and Artie so you need to get out."

"Look, I'm sorry, Rachel, I was just jealous," He walked to her door and looked down at her. "I really didn't mean to make you mad. Forgive me?"

She matched his gaze and sighed. "Don't ever come into my room and talk to me like that again."

"Yea, okay, I'm sorry," He nodded.

"Okay, then," She pursed her lips. "I'll see you this afternoon, Finn."

*/*

She was sitting in a small booth beside Matt while Artie sat on the other side of the table over lunch. She just finished eating when Matt slipped his arm behind her. She didn't really mind.

"I hoped you like the restaurant I picked out," She told them. "It's my favorite but it's vegan so I wasn't sure if you two would like it."

"It was pretty good," Artie nodded. "I probably wouldn't have noticed it was vegan unless you told me."

"What made you decide to go vegan?" Matt asked.

"It was a lot of different things," She shrugged. "I never really liked the taste of meat growing up. And then when I was in third grade school some boys found this dead squirrel outside and made it dance around me," She caught their disgusted faces and chuckled. "Like I said last week, I was bullied a lot. But that's actually how I met Santana. She was this fiery little girl and when she saw what they were doing with the squirrel, she punched one of the boys in the nose and the other she kicked in the shin before grabbing my hand and telling me to run. We've been great friends ever since."

"What about Quinn?" Matt questioned. "How'd you meet her?"

"That's a great story, actually," Rachel laughed and sipped her water. "It was about a year after San started going to NYU and I was doing these really bad musicals _off_-Off-Broadway just so I could have something to put on my resume. _And_ I was working at this crappy diner for tips because, you know, I was getting paid basically nothing to sing my heart out three times a week, and I had to pay my rent somehow. There was this blonde woman that came in everyday at exactly 7:15 in the morning. Like, literally on the dot, and she always ordered the same thing, cheese omelette with cranberry juice and a blueberry muffin. And she always sat at the same table so she was one of my customers. We didn't talk a lot, I just took her order and brought her food, but then she kept leaving me these really nice tips. She'd been coming in for about a month and then one day she left me a twenty dollar tip.

"So of course, I thought it was a mistake so I ran out after her but the streets were busy and I didn't know her name so there I was, in my waitress uniform, running after this mysterious blonde woman and waving a twenty dollar bill around in my hand. After about three blocks I finally caught up with her. I'm pretty sure she thought I was crazy since I could barely talk from being out of breath and I kept shoving the money into her hand. I told her she left too big of a tip and she just shook her head and told me to keep the money. So then I said I couldn't possible take twenty dollars for some breakfast she got from a worn-down diner. Then, _she_ said it wasn't a mistake and that she wanted me to have the twenty dollars. Her father was this huge musical producer and she'd seen some of my crappy plays. But she said they _weren't_ crappy at all... well, she said the plots were horrible but that my voice was way too good to be singing in a warehouse." She paused to take a breath and another sip of her water.

"She'd been giving me the tips to help me out because her father was loaded and she said she didn't need the money. 'I either give the money to you or spend it on shoes I can't stand to walk in for more than fifteen minutes,' that's what she said," Rachel smiled brightly at the memory. "So she gave me her dad's card and told me to call him because I might be the fresh new face he'd been looking for. And I did! I called him and the next week I had this audition for this man's show. It was off-Broadway and brand new but I read part of the script and completely fell in love with the character. I got the female lead and you probably know that show went on to land on Broadway, which was my first big break," She grinned happily. "And that's how I met Quinn."

"So the blonde was Quinn?" Artie asked.

Rachel furrowed her brow. "No... Quinn was my make-up artist."

Matt burst into laughter at that and Rachel looked at him strangly. "Your make-up artist? You went through that whole story just to say that Quinn was your make-up artist?"

"Are you making fun of me?" She asked, clearly amused at how funny both of the boys found this to be.

"No," Artie grinned. "But you could have told us how you met Quinn in five words."

She shrugged innocently. "I liked my story better."

*/*

"Did you have a good time, Rachel?" Mike asked.

"I had a great time," She nodded and Sam helped her into the limo. "You two were great company for dinner. You're both so cute and funny."

Sam slid in beside Rachel and Mike jumped in behind them, taking the leather seat adjacent to her. "Why'd you decide to do this show?" He asked.

She was quiet for a few seconds before she shrugged. "I was tired of letting Broadway run my life. I mean, I love being on Broadway but it's so demanding and I found it hard to keep up with dating. Most of the men I met were either gay or huge jerks," She smiled. "And then Santana made me meet this producer. He said he wanted me to do this reality show where I would have a chance to meet potential guys. So I did. I took a break from Broadway and basically let Quinn and Santana make any and all decisions about my love life. They had more of a say in this show than I did. I've basically just been along for the ride. I'm just glad they didn't pick all duds," She grinned.

"I'm glad you decided to do this show," Mike admitted. "I've been trying to meet you for years. Well, actually I did kind of meet you once."

"You did?" She raised an eyebrow.

"Yea, it was back when you were in Mamma Mia!" Mike told her. "You were at rehearsal and I was working the lights. You looked right at me and told me to give you a more flattering light."

Rachel grinned. "I don't remember that but I wish you had talked to me that day. Maybe then I wouldn't have to be on this show."

"Is it hard?" Sam asked. "Having the camera in your face all time. I mean, we've really only been on this show about a week but I'm already getting tired of the cameras everywhere. It's been that way for you your whole life."

She nodded. "It's frustrating sometimes. But it makes me happy when I'm in front of the camera. Sometimes I do wish I could just take a timeout and be a normal person, you know, go to a bar or have lunch without the paparazzi. Then I think about how lucky I truly am to be where I'm at and the cameras aren't an inconvienence anymore. I don't mind having little to no privacy," She shrugged. "It's good to see my face on magazines or have people asking for my autograph."

"It would be pretty cool to take pictures with fans," Sam nodded.

"Exactly," Rachel smiled.

*/*

"How were your dates?" Santana looked up to see Rachel walking into the bedroom after dinner. "Do you like Sam and Mike?"

"I do," Rachel nodded.

"What about Jesse?" Quinn asked. "You've been so busy we haven't had time to talk to you today. And Matt? Did you like him? I was talking to him yesterday and he's so sweet."

"Quinny," Santana rolled her eyes.

"They were all great," Rachel told them. "And Matt was sweet. I told both him and Artie how I met Quinn. They seemed to enjoy the story."

"They liked it? Really? It's a pretty boring story," Quinn sighed and continued to flip through the magazine in her hand.

Rachel grinned. "Finn was in my room this morning."

"Why?" Santana furrowed his brow.

"I got back from breakfast with Jesse and Jacob and when I walked into my room, he was just sitting on the couch waiting for me. It scared me, actually, but you'll never guess what he said," She sighed. "He says I'm spending too much time with Noah. Apparently, Jesse and Finn are mad because I like Noah. It's absolutely ridiculous because I thought Finn and Noah were friends but it seems like every time I turn around, Finn's badmouthing Noah.

"I told you Finn was a douchebag," Santana commented in her told-you-so voice. "He's just jealous, sweetie. Ignore him; you can spend as much time with Puckerman as you want."

"Finn's not so bad. I'm sure he didn't mean to upset you," Quinn defended him.

"He's a douche," Santana countered. "And so is Jesse. I like Puck and he's good for you, Rachel."

Rachel nodded. "But maybe I should start to spend an equal amount of time with each guy. Finn made a lot of sense and I guess I have been favoring Noah. I think I'll set up a schedule for the men."

Santana rolled her eyes and Quinn laughed. "That's just like you, Rachel," Santana shook her head. "You know, you don't have to plan _everything _out. You like spending time with Puck, right?"

"Of course," Rachel nodded.

"Then don't worry about the other guys," Quinn added and flipped another page of the magazine. "Just spend time with whoever you want. You're not here to please these guys, Rachel, it's the other way around."

"I suppose," Rachel sighed loudly and walked over to the mirror to take her earrings out.

"I think the guys are out by the pool," Santana said. "Why don't we go down there and join them. You've been running around all week and you haven't taken any time to actually have fun."

"I've been having fun," Rachel countered.

"Whatever," Santana rolled her eyes. "Just put on your bikini and get your hot little ass outside. Quinny and I will be waiting so hurry up."

"Yea," Rachel waved them off and waited until they were out of the room before sinking down onto the edge of her bed. This love show was turning out to be a lot harder than she expected.

*/*

"Hey boys," Santana and Quinn walked out of the sliding glass door to see all the men hanging around the pool. Santana grinned and sank down onto a lounge chair, the sun already beating down on her.

Santana's brow furrowed when Quinn walked straight over to where Matt was sitting with his feet in the water and sank down beside him. Her attention was quickly distracted when Rachel walked out to join everyone in the backyard.

"Over here, Rachel!" Mike yelled.

Santana shrugged. "I'm going to get my tan on," She told Rachel. "Go on over and play with you boy toys."

Rachel smiled and moved towards where Artie, Mike, Sam, and Puck were hanging out in the hot tub. She noticed Quinn was talking with Matt on the other side of the pool, Jesse and Finn were lying out on some lounge chairs talking, and she assumed Jacob was inside doing his own thing.

"What's going on?" Rachel asked and Sam grabbed her hand to help her into the tub. She wedged herself between Puck and Sam and decided she really liked where she was sitting when neither Sam nor Puck had a shirt on. "Is everything going okay?"

"Everything's good," Artie answered.

Rachel shifted slightly and looked over when Sam started to fumble with the straps of her red bikini. "Something wrong?" She asked with a small smile visible on her lips.

"You're going to get tan lines," He replied.

"I think I'll be fine," She told him. "But thanks for your concern."

"Stop hogging Rachel," Mike complained and then his arm was looped around her waist and pulling her towards him to sit in his lap. "That's better."

Rachel laughed and let Mike's hands wrap around her middle as she settled back against him. She definitely noticed the jealousy flare in Puck's eyes. "I think you're making all the other guys jealous, Mike," She told the Asian man over her shoulder.

Santana walked over then and slipped into the pool between Sam and Artie. She passed Rachel a glass of champagne and sighed. "I love this house," Santana moaned when the jets hit her back.

"Me too," Sam agreed. "I could sit in here all night."

"You'll prune," Rachel slipped from her glass and wiggled around in Mike's lap uncomfortably. "I think I'm going to go to bed early tongiht."

"Sounds good to me," Santana let her eyes fall closed.

"Hey, umm..." Rachel looked over at Noah and then back at Santana. "Do you think I could have some time alone with Noah?"

"Sure," Santana moved to stand. "Mike, Sam, help Artie out."

Rachel slipped off of Mike's lap and watched Sam and Mike lift Artie out of the hot tub and back into the wheelchair. Santana clinked Rachel's glass with her own before walking off with the men.

Rachel turned to smile at Puck and he pulled her into his lap. "I've been waiting to get you alone," He told her lowly. "You spent all day with the other guys and to be honest, I was getting pretty fucking jealous."

"Were you?" She feigned innocence and downed the last of her champagne before sitting the empty glass on the table beside the tub.

"Still am," He replied and she moved to straddle him. "Did you have fun today?"

"Yes," She nodded. "But a little part of me wished you were there on those dates with me. I learned a lot about you today."

"Mmm?" His lips found her neck and she tipped her head back slightly.

"I asked Santana to dig up whatever she could on you," She told him, "I didn't know you could play the guitar. Why didn't you tell me you were in glee club?"

He kept kissing her instead of replying and she moaned when his lips found hers. "No talking," He told her. "Just kiss me, Rachel."

"What if someone sees us?" She pulled away slightly and glanced over to see Finn and Jesse staring back intently.

"I don't care," He told her and his fingers tickled her spine.

"Noah," She giggled when his teeth nipped at her jaw. "This is so inappropriate."

"So?" He countered and she had to admit she didn't mind his logic, but she couldn't make-out with him in front of everyone so she put her hands on his chest and pushed away from him. "Do you wanna talk?" He asked and she nodded.

"I want to know who you are, Noah. I like you a lot but everytime we're around each other we always make-out instead of talk," She sighed. "It's frustrating that I have no idea who you are."

"I like the making out part," He smirked but then his hands fell to her waist and she knew he was done with teasing her for now. "What do you want to know?"

"What's your family like?" She asked.

He shrugged. "Normal, I guess. I don't remember my dad much and I basically had to raise myself because my mom worked two full-time jobs and a part-time job on the weekends," He looked up to meet her gaze. "My sister just turned 21 and she goes to Ohio State. She wanted to come up here to NYU but my mom couldn't afford to send her out of state. I think she's studying art but she's switched her majors so many times I may be wrong. I'm not real close with the rest of my family. Well, except my Nana Connie. She's pretty awesome, you know, for an old lady. She's sneaky and she's actually the one that finally convinced me to audition for this show."

"You'll have to thank Nana Connie for me, then," Rachel smiled and leaned over to kiss his lips softly.

"Maybe you should do it in person," He suggested lightly and Rachel pulled back to stare at him. "I mean, if you want to. My family is kind of crazy but I think you'd fit right in."

"You want me to meet your parents?" She asked hesitantly.

"Not right now..." He shook his head and his lips quirked. "But if you keep me around for a while I'd love to introduce you to them. Maybe then my Ma would stop harping on me to find a nice Jewish woman."

She giggled and her hands rested lightly on his shoulders. "I really want to kiss you right now."

He smirked and said, "Then why don't you?"

So she did and she didn't care if Finn or anyone else saw.

*/*

A/N: I'm not exactly sure how I feel about this chapter but if I watched one more episode of Toddlers & Tiaras I was going to go crazy. It's a bit shorter than the other chapter but I wanted to get this one posted.


	8. Chapter 8

Don't own Glee.

*/*

"Hey," Rachel found Puck in the rec room, messing around on the piano she had requested for the house. "I didn't know you played."

"Just a little," He moved over on the bench so she would have room to sit down. "What are you doing down here? I thought you wanted some alone time."

"I did." She nodded. "I didn't think it would be this stressful, but there are eight of you and one of me. I keep trying to spend time with everyone, but it's getting frustrating."

"Tonight there will only be seven," He pointed out. "Artie and Jacob are up for elimination."

"Play something for me," She told him a few seconds later, eager to change the subject. "Please?"

She chewed on her bottom lip as his fingers moved across the keys, but she didn't recognize the song. He was humming softly along with it and she wondered if this was one he had written himself.

"I used to write my own lyrics," She confessed when he was done. "Santana had to help me with the accompaniment, but I haven't done that since high school." She eyed the open notebook lying on top of the piano and she could see scribbled lyrics inside. "Can I look at them?"

He seemed hesitant, but finally nodded. "They aren't that great. I usually don't write lyrics, but as I was playing some of the words just fit."

She gingerly took the notebook and pursed her lips as she read over them. Her eyes seemed stuck on one verse and she kept reading it over and over in her head:

_I am not a fugitive_

_I just wanted to be free_

_From the secrets and the ghosts_

_That have been chasing after me_

_If you find my cold remains_

_Will you bury them with you?_

_In a field far away _

_From the damage that they do_

"Like I said," He pulled the notebook from her. "I wrote these months ago. I don't even have the song finished, just a few verses, and that's all I'll probably ever write."

"They're really good," She told him. "Better than anything I could have ever come up with. I wrote this one song in high school about being an only child. It was terrible." She laughed when she saw him smiling softly. "And don't even get me started on 'My Headband,' although that one did go over well with a few girls in my glee club."

"You're crazy," He chuckled and shook his head. "You really think they're good?"

"You should finish the song, Noah. And I'd love to hear it when you do." She nodded quickly and her smile grew. "You even gave me an idea. We're all going out tonight after the elimination and you're taking us to one of those piano bars you told me all about yesterday."

"Aren't you afraid of getting recognized?" He questioned.

"I'll wear my hair down and I'll dress casual. I doubt anyone in a piano bar has been watching me on Broadway," She shrugged. "So?"

"Okay," He nodded. "But that means you can't send me home tonight. I know you've been dying to get rid of me."

She laughed at his teasing tone and leaned over to kiss him soundly. "You're not going anywhere, Noah Puckerman. Like it or not, you're stuck here for a little while longer."

"I guess I can deal with that," He grinned and pulled her closer, kissing her harder.

*/*

"No surprise there," Santana plopped back on Rachel's bed after eliminations. "Rachel sent creepy Ben Israel packing. I'm sorry I ever brought him into this house."

"He was a little odd," Quinn agreed. "It was an easy decision, though. I don't think Rach will have an elimination like that again. It's just going to get harder from here."

Rachel sighed from her closet. "Can we not talk about this right now? I'll worry about it later but right now I want to go out and have fun. Do you know how long it's been since I've been out?"

"Probably about as long as it's been since you got laid," Santana giggled when Rachel shot her a glare. "I'm kidding. But I'm sure Puckerman would be happy to help you with that."

"Santana," Quinn shook her head. "Rachel doesn't need to cloud her judgment with sex. Besides, I'm still not convinced Puck is her type. Who wants to be nicknamed after a _fairy_?"

"No, you're right, Rutherford has nice hands. I'm sure he'd do Rachel's body some good," Santana ducked when Quinn threw the pillow.

"I'm leaving with or without you girls," Rachel informed them as she examined herself in the mirror. "Now, if you two are done bickering like children, you can go get ready to go out. And dress casual. Noah says it's just a little bar, nothing fancy. I don't want to draw unnecessary attention to ourselves."

"Since when does Rachel Berry not want attention?" Quinn asked.

"Since Rachel Berry wants a social life that won't end up on the cover of US Weekly," Rachel replied evenly and sat down at her vanity to choose some earrings. "And can someone make sure the guys are ready?"

"Yes, ma'am," Santana mocked before leaving the room.

*/*

"Having fun, Rachel?" Finn asked and threw a heavy arm over her shoulders once he sat down beside her. "They have karaoke if you want to sing."

"Thanks," Rachel said softly, "but I think I'll just enjoy watching Quinn and Santana drunkenly sing 'Lay all your love on me.' That's their go-to song. I usually help them, but I'd rather not risk getting recognized."

"Right," Finn sighed and stood up. "I'm going to the bar. Want anything?"

"Actually, Noah was getting me something." Rachel looked over Finn's shoulder and smiled when Noah walked over with two drinks. "Thanks for the offer, though."

"Sure." Finn ground his teeth and moved back for Puck to slide into the booth. He really didn't like the way Puck's hand instantly went to rest on Rachel's leg.

Finn sank into a chair beside Jesse and tried to ignore the sound of Rachel's laughter on the other side of the bar. Jesse was quietly sipping his beer, surveying the bar slowly.

"I know I told you I didn't want to get involved with whatever scheme you had in mind," Finn began, "but I'm starting to think you were right about Puck. We need to get him out of here."

Jesse cut his gaze over to Finn. "I thought he was your friend."

Finn looked over to Puck and scowled. "Not anymore."

"What do you have in mind?"

"I've known Puck since we were kids. I know what pisses him off and I know exactly what to do to push him over the edge." Finn told Jesse. "All I need in return is a promise that you and I will make it to the final two."

Jesse was quiet for the few minutes as he thought about the offer but finally nodded. "Deal."

"So how do we do this?" Finn asked.

"First, we need to talk to Rachel's friends. They're drunk so it should be pretty easy." Jesse nodded towards Santana and Quinn who were just coming out of the bathroom. "They know Rachel the best and all we have to do is convince them Puck is the worst choice for Rachel. That should be pretty easy since he's obviously wrong for her."

Finn watched as Puck said something to Rachel, making her laugh, but he pushed that image out of his head and reminded himself that if he wanted Rachel, he'd have to get rid of the competition. He just wasn't so sure doing it Jesse's way was the best way.

*/*

"I know you're probably tired after everything that happened today, but I wanted to have some time alone with you," Sam grinned over at her as they walked through the grass in the back yard.

"It's no problem, Sam," Rachel told him. "I'm actually glad you took some initiative and asked me to come for a walk with you. I prefer men to be a bit more forward, but a lot of men seem a little intimidated of my Broadway status. Believe it or not, I don't get asked out on dates a lot. It's a big reason I agreed to do this whole show, even if it is a major invasion of privacy."

"Elimination is going to be tough next week," He made conversation while he watched Rachel walk barefoot next to him. "You're going to get sick walking around on wet grass without shoes on."

"I like the feel of the grass beneath my feet," She smiled over at him and didn't complain when he took her hand, twining their fingers together. "And I think I have a pretty good idea of who I want to stay after the next elimination."

"Am I on that list?" He asked almost nervously.

"Of course," She nodded and gripped his hand a little tighter. "That's a silly question, Sammy."

"Who else?" He questioned. "I'd like to know who my major competition is."

She giggled softly at the teasing lilt in his voice. "I enjoy Mike's company, along with Matt and Artie's."

"And Puck?" His voice seemed a little hurt.

"Yea," Rachel looked down at their hands. "And Noah. I don't think it's a secret that I have the strongest connection with Noah at this point. Now, that's not to say I don't care about the rest of you, but I can't help the way I feel, Sam. My feelings for Noah won't stand in the way of me making a connection with someone else." She pulled on his hand a little bit to make him smile. "You know, Sammy, Noah is the only guy in this house so far to actually try and make a connection with me. He talks to me and gets to know me. And I've gotten to know him. Maybe you need to ask me on a date so I can get to know you a little better."

"I can do that?" His grin widened.

"You can do whatever want, Sam." She moved to walk backwards in front of him. "All you have to do is ask."

Sam nodded and pulled her against him. "Wanna have dinner with me tomorrow night, Rach?"

She grinned widely and let her fingers tickle his sides lightly. "I'll have to check my schedule," She teased him.

Her giggles were cut off by his sudden kiss.

*/*

She was sprawled out on her bed with Puck beside her, running his fingers up and down her arm. They weren't doing anything wrong and the whole thing was completely innocent, but she knew she'd be guilty if any of the other guys found out that this happened on pretty much a nightly basis. She'd finish her nightly routine and then crawl onto her king size bed with Noah and they'd just lie there.

"I'm going out with Sam tomorrow night," She whispered. "He asked me before I came up here."

Puck hummed to let her know he had heard her and she wondered if a little part of him was jealous. She really hoped so.

"You don't mind, do you?" She asked as she rolled over onto her stomach.

"It's just a dinner, Rach." He shrugged and she smiled softly. "I've never been one of those jealous guys. I'm cool with it as long as he keeps his hands to himself. I know how handsy you can get on the first date."

She smacked his chest lightly and rolled her eyes. "He kissed me tonight."

"Now, I think you're just trying to make me jealous."

"Maybe a little bit," She shrugged her shoulder and reached up to brush her knuckles along his jaw. "Are you?"

"Did you kiss him back?" He asked seriously and Rachel blushed.

"It was innocent, Noah," Rachel admitted and moved to straddle his chest. "Honestly, it was nothing. It didn't even come close to how you kiss me."

"You care about him?"

"Not as much as I care about you," She leaned over to kiss him on the mouth chastely and grinned when she felt his hands move to her hips. "Yes, I care about him. He's sweet and funny and his impersonations crack me up. I care about him, but I care about you, too. Is that wrong?"

He studied her face for a few minutes she seemed genuinely torn about her feelings for the men in the house. "No," He shook his head and pushed the hair back from her face. "It's not wrong at all."

*/*

Sam was actually really sweet when they went out on their date. He picked this really nice restaurant he heard about from Mike and paid the hostess to seat them in a little secluded corner. He made her laugh and ordered them some white wine since he knew she wasn't fond of red. All in all, Rachel had a great time.

"I miss my bed," Rachel admitted when they're in the limo on the way home. "It's been a long day." Her head rolled back to rest against the seat and her brow furrowed when she felt Sam's hand pushing past the hem of her skirt. She squirmed a little bit, trying to be subtle about rejecting him, but from the look on his face when she pushed his hand away, he was quite offended.

"I'm sorry, Sam," She smiled at him genuinely and hated the way he scooted away from him. "I like when you kiss me, but anything past that I'm not really comfortable with." She moved closer to him and caught his gaze. "I'm not comfortable doing that with anyone in the house right now. I'm still trying to get to know all of you and I think forming a physical relationship right now would be a bad idea." She leaned forward and pressed a light kiss to the corner of his mouth.

He offered her a lopsided smile and shrugged a shoulder. "I guess I understand."

"I'm glad you decided to tell me about your family, Sam. It must have been hard growing up and having to move around like that. I would have gone crazy if I had to live out a suitcase," She pressed her lips together. "Maybe you'll tell me more on our next date."

"I guess that means you'll be keeping me around for a little while longer?" He asked and she laughed.

"You aren't going anywhere, Samuel Evans. Not if I can help it." She tangled their fingers together.

She let Sam kiss her goodnight when they get on the porch that night and then she was trudging up the stairs. A little part of her hoped Puck was waiting in her room for her. She rather enjoyed their nights when he would rub her feet while she told him all kinds of stories about Broadway and how she loved to perform. He even made her promise she'd sing for him sometime. And in return, he has to sing for her.

"How was the date?" Puck tried to keep the jealously out of his voice when she collapsed on her bed next to him. "Did he keep his hands to himself? No, don't tell me because then I'll want to punch him."

Rachel smiled against him arm before planting a kiss on his shoulder. "Sam was a perfect gentleman tonight, Noah. Besides, I carry enough mace with me to take out a linebacker. I think I can handle myself if some guy gets a little handsy." She rolled over to smile over at him as she was tracing random patterns on his bicep. She liked the way the muscles reacted under her touch. "Green really isn't your color, Noah."

"I lied before," He stared up at the ceiling. "I'm possessive; it isn't nice."

Rachel smirked because she was pretty sure Puck didn't realize he just quoted one of her favorite plays and leaned down to press an open-mouthed kiss right above his collar bone. "You smell really nice."

"I took a jog while you were gone. It was the only thing I could think of to do to stop me from going to that restaurant and telling Evans to fuck off." He moved his gaze from the ceiling to Rachel and sighed. "I don't like to share."

"I noticed," She smiled and stifled her groan when she heard Santana and Quinn walk into the room. "Ever heard of knocking?" Rachel turned to glare at her friends, but they were too busy narrowing their eyes at her to notice. "We aren't doing anything."

"You've got a guy in your room that has a six-pack and you still have clothes on," Santana raised a perfectly shaped eyebrow. "Impressive, Berry; you've got a lot more self-control than I do."

"Did you two need anything?" Rachel moved to rest on her knees on her bed and Puck slid behind her, wrapping an arm around her waist and kissing the bare strip of skin between her skirt and tank top.

"We just wanted to see how your date went with Sam," Quinn crossed her arms. "But it seems you're already occupied at the moment."

"We were just talking," Rachel replied and squirmed a little because Puck's mouth was making it hard to think straight. "Besides, this is my room and I can do whatever I want in here."

"Don't you mean _whoever_?" Santana questioned with a smirk and gained a pillow to the face from Rachel.

"Get out," Rachel rolled her eyes. "Noah and I need some privacy."

Rachel ignored when Santana whispered something about 'someone's getting lucky tonight' and focused her attention back on Noah once her two friends were out of the room, the door safely shut behind them. Rachel rolled over onto her back and Puck hovered over her, making her shiver because he was studying her so intently.

"I love the way your body reacts under my fingers," He admitted quietly and she smiled when he slid his hands deftly over her stomach.

Noah bent to kiss the hollow of her throat and she tilted her head back to give him better access. They did this sometimes, but their hands never traveled lower than each others' waist. It was kind of game for them both. They tested each other and tried to draw out different sounds from the other. Puck always won their unconventional game and had Rachel moaning his name under him by the end of the night. She wasn't the least bit embarrassed he could get that kind of response from her because they both knew he was quite skilled with his hands.

"Noah," Rachel giggled when his mouth skimmed the underside of her breast through her tank top. "I think we should stop before I can't think straight."

"I like what I'm doing," He whispered against her skin and she shuddered when he lifted her shirt and his tongue made the trail from the flesh between her breasts down to her navel. "You like it too, baby."

"I do," She hummed her agreement, but pushed him away gently, pulling her shirt back into place. "But we need to cool down before this goes too far." She pulled the sheet around her because she's feeling a little too exposed right now with her skirt being pushed up so far. "I told Sam tonight that forming a physical relationship with any of the guys right now would just lead to trouble and I meant that. Doing those kind of intimate things with a man clouds my judgment. I want to know if you're here because you actually like me or if you just like fooling around with me."

"I think you know why I'm here," He said as he crawled out of the bed.

"You don't have to go," She whispered.

"It's late and I need a shower," He replied and kissed her lips soundly before walking to the bedroom door. "I'm taking you out tomorrow so don't agree to have lunch with some other douche."

She smiled as he left her room and she squirmed under the covers a little more, finding that her pillow case now smelled like Noah.

*/*

AN: It's been awhile so I'm just hoping you all haven't lost interest in this fic.


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